1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an electrical connector and particularly to an electrical connector having grounding bridges.
2. Description of Related Art
Electrical connectors usually have guiding columns to be inserted into guiding apertures of mating connectors for guiding the electrical connectors to engage with the mating connectors and grounding bridges provided on the guiding columns for making contact with grounding members of the mating connector for Electro-Static Discharge(ESD).
U.S. Pat. No. 6,390,833 discloses in FIGS. 7 and 8 thereof a connector 10 comprises a pair of metallic grounding pads 17 each providing a contacting portion 174 exposed from opposite ends of the housing 11 for electrically engaging with a shield 23 of a mating connector 20. The grounding pads 17 are inserted into cavities 128 of the housing 11 from a bottom face of the housing 11, and the grounding pads 17 are positioned in the cavities 128 by junctures 176 thereof upwardly abutting against blocks 125, 126 on opposite ends of the housing 11 and first feet 175 thereof pressing against an inner side of the shield 13 attached to an outer side of the housing 11. Sometimes, customers want electrical connectors with grounding pads thereof retained in other ways.
Hence, an electrical connector with improved grounding bridges is desired.
An object of the present invention is to provide an electrical connector having grounding bridges which can be reliably retained therein and which can assure an electrical connection thereof with a shield of a mating connector complementary to the electrical connector.
To achieve the above object, an electrical connector in accordance with the present invention comprises an insulative housing having an elongated base wall and a mating wall projecting upwardly from the base, a plurality of terminals received in the housing, a metallic shield attached to an outer side of the insulative housing, and a pair of grounding bridges each having a body portion and a resilient arm extending upwardly from the body portion. A pair of guiding columns each defining a notch are provided on opposite ends of the mating wall of the housing. Each notch has an upper portion in the guiding column and a lower portion in the base wall and open to air from an upper surface of the base wall. The body portions of the grounding bridges are retained in the lower portions of the notches in the base wall and the resilient arms extend in the upper portions of the notches in the guiding column whereby the body portions of the grounding bridges electrically connect with the metallic shield from the upper surface of the base wall.